THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL. PLEASE ENJOY WHAT IS HERE, AND DO LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU WISH. NORTH CAROLINA'S NEW POET LAUREATE IS CATHY SMITH BOWERS. SHE WILL SOON HAVE HER OWN WEBSITE THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA ARTS COUNCIL SITE. I WILL BE SHIFTING MY ATTENTION TO HERE, WHERE I AM, (SEE SIDEBAR)USING IT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO WRITERS WHOSE WORK DESERVES ATTENTION. I INVITE YOU TO VISIT ME THERE.For a video of the installation ceremony, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xAk6fOzaNE.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Leslie Phillabaum and LSU Press

The former director of Louisiana State University Press, Leslie Phillabaum, died suddenly last week. "Les" made LSU Press into one of the foremost publishers of poetry in this country. When the Academy of American Poets called me to say that my WILDWOOD FLOWER had won the Lamont Award (now the McLaughlin) for the best second book of poetry in a given year, the young woman praised LSU for doing so much for its poets and their books. She seemed genuinely glad that another LSU book had won the award. Moreover, POETS AND WRITERS plugged LSU's poetry series in an article of several years back; Les Phillabaum was given the credit he deserved for having championed poetry at his press.

Among the NC poets published by LSU Press during Les's tenure were Fred Chappell, Betty Adcock, and James Applewhite. Fred Chappell made these remarks in an essay published in 1997 in the RALEIGH NEWS/OBSERVER:

"Louisiana State University Press publishes my poetry, and poetry volumes make up a large part of its output. The director of LSU Press, Leslie Phillabaum, informs me that North Carolina buys more poetry than any other Southern state, more in fact, than any state except those with the largest metropolises, California, New York and Massaschusetts."

The entire essay, worth your reading time, can be found at http://www.ncarts.org/newsletter/sp98pgs/chappell.html.

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About Me

I've lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina since 1968, though I'm a native of SW Georgia. My paternal grandmother was born in the Blue Ridge, and I grew up wanting to live here. Where I am.
I've published five collections of poetry, the most recent 4 being with LSU Press, and have published poetry in magazines ranging from The Atlantic Monthly to Appalachian Heritage. But I also hike, bang pots and pans around in my kitchen, and love several dogs who leave fur all over my carpets. I write poetry because it's my way of singing back to the world both within and without.